The mist got in the way. Again. From the top of Saddleback Mountain—had there been a view—we could have glimpsed Katahdin for the first time! Instead, everything was white. Appropriate as that’s been the view from almost every high peak on this trip! On the other hand, the big K is just 210 miles away and we will see it soon.

I had a wonderful stay with Heather and Tally at Gull Pond Lodge. There’s lots of good food in Rangeley and we had a bunch of hangout time. Heather got to meet Condor finally and we hung out w/Rockhound and David, a section hiker.

Rockhound & I got dropped off at the trail by Heather around 1pm today. The next time I’ll see my fiancée will be at the base of Katahdin and I’m not leaving her for a long time after that! The predicted rain held off and I had a good walk despite my heavy pack.

I’m now carrying minimal fly fishing gear. Can’t wait to use it, perhaps a couple days from now. Five days of food including treats from my parents & cousin Sue filled my pack completely. Despite the weight on my back, I had only one minor fall. I’ve slowed my hiking pace over the past week and feel much more comfortable for having done so.

There are only 3 clusters of big mountains between here and Baxter State Park—the end of the trail. Unbelievable! I can count the big climbs remaining on one hand! It blew my mind yesterday when I looked at a map of Baxter and couldn’t trace the AT through the park. That’s ‘cause it stopped! Wow! The end is just weeks away!